project hail mary might be the best audiobook i've ever listened ever in my life. it's so... complete. i would recommend dungeon crawler carl -- it's a "litrpg" series, but it's quite light on it...
project hail mary might be the best audiobook i've ever listened ever in my life. it's so... complete.
i would recommend dungeon crawler carl -- it's a "litrpg" series, but it's quite light on it while being super fun.
I'm listening to Artemis at the moment, read by Rosario Dawson, and also the 372 Pages podcast that is critically reviewing it. The podcast has called into question if The Martian was actually...
I'm listening to Artemis at the moment, read by Rosario Dawson, and also the 372 Pages podcast that is critically reviewing it. The podcast has called into question if The Martian was actually that good given how bad Artemis is. Too many mentions of the phrase "hauling ass", and every time the 26 yo female protagonist mentions her "sexy body" they encourage you to check out Weir's photo on Wikipedia and tell him to settle down.
One of the tongue in cheek conspiracy theories they have mentioned is that Artemis was secretly written by Ernest Cline. The "proof" is the anachronistic pop culture references and the Clinean literary technique where one's body behaves like a 3rd party robot (I felt water and realized I was crying- type things). I don't really find it that terrible, I enjoyed The Martian and Artemis is gripping thriller nonsense too. Making a book is difficult creative act, whereas making fun of one is easier (but also funny).
I might check out Project HM afterwards, see if it has anything in common with Artemis :-P
Is there enough libertarian agitprop in the Cline canon to say that he actually wrote this book? The big corporation ruined the world of RP1, and I'm not sure that the MC being in charge actually...
Is there enough libertarian agitprop in the Cline canon to say that he actually wrote this book? The big corporation ruined the world of RP1, and I'm not sure that the MC being in charge actually helped anything on that front.
I dunno, it's a silly theory that they mentioned tongue in cheek. Weir wrote RP1 fanfic , and the editor of artemis is the same as RP1+2 apparently. That's more likely the reason for similarities....
I dunno, it's a silly theory that they mentioned tongue in cheek. Weir wrote RP1 fanfic , and the editor of artemis is the same as RP1+2 apparently. That's more likely the reason for similarities. A running gag in the podcast is weird common themes in bad books, slim hands come up a lot for example, so it all plays into that bit.
Project Hail Mary is going to worked on by Lord and Miller after the writer strike. https://collider.com/project-hail-mary-directors-chris-lord-phil-miller-comments/
Project Hail Mary was such a good book that I also bought the audiobook. Hearing that character elevates the story massively. It was delightful from start to finish. I would have preferred it if...
Project Hail Mary was such a good book that I also bought the audiobook. Hearing that character elevates the story massively. It was delightful from start to finish.
I would have preferred it if it were a series though, they kind of rushed a lot of stuff in the Martian and there's so much ground to cover with Project Hail Mary that I fear it will lose out on some of it's charm.
You can transmit a lot more information with images rather than audio books, but condensing the 16 hour audiobook into a 2 hour film is going to be tricky.
1. The Witcher series Narrated by Peter Kenny, these are the Witcher books, written by Adrej Sapowski translated to English, that the popular TV show and games are based on. Many people are...
1. The Witcher series
Narrated by Peter Kenny, these are the Witcher books, written by Adrej Sapowski translated to English, that the popular TV show and games are based on. Many people are probably familiar with the story content of these already, so I won't mention anything about that, but the reading is fantastic. Kenny provides different voices for the characters and reads dramatically. The only criticism I have off the top of my mind is the change in pronunciation in certain names between books.
2. The Order of Time
Written by Carlo Rovelli, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. This book explores the concept of time - it's relationship with gravity, thermodynamics, and other physical processes - presenting heady concepts in prose for the layman like me. I quite enjoy the exploration of these concepts, but I wouldn't have the wherewithal to tackle physics textbooks. Cumberbatch's reading is, as you can probably assume, like a classically trained actor with dramatic rises and falls - the cadence captures your attention and matches perfectly Rovelli's writing style. I recommend giving it a listen if you enjoy learning about and contemplating science topics, appreciate philosophy, and respond well to that feeling of 'opening the door' to something much larger than you may have realized up to this point.
edit: I realize i wrote this as a general "for anyone" kind of review, not specific to OP's prompt. Sorry OP if this doesn't fit your fancy, but I'll leave it up if it fits anyone elses.
I really enjoyed the Bobiverse at first, but the weird Metaphysics of the Soul direction the series has taken is a huge turn off for me. It just feels so slapdash and in conflict with the...
I really enjoyed the Bobiverse at first, but the weird Metaphysics of the Soul direction the series has taken is a huge turn off for me. It just feels so slapdash and in conflict with the scientific focus that the series has otherwise.
The Red Rising series is one of the best narrations in the game, for sure. I'm due for a reread. Project Hail Mary obviously an all-star.
I think my favorite audio book of all time has to be World War Z. It's one of my favorite books and the full cast narration really brings it to life. I'm also really glad they updated it with a...
I think my favorite audio book of all time has to be World War Z. It's one of my favorite books and the full cast narration really brings it to life. I'm also really glad they updated it with a full, unabridged version. The original was good but it was missing some of my favorite chapters.
A close second is the Bobiverse series. Ray Porter does a fantastic job with the narration. I'm kind of bummed they updated the original We Are Legion (We Are Bob) recording, though. It was a little thing, but the original mispronunciation of Archimedes always made me chuckle.
If you can find it, R.C. Bray's version of The Martian is really good, too. It was a shame they pulled it after Podium Audio's publishing rights expired. I haven't heard the Wil Wheaton version, but I don't think he was the right fit for that particular story.
The Expanse series has a great audio book narrator. The story itself works well in an audiobook format, not a ton of characters, story is easy to follow, just very fun.
The Expanse series has a great audio book narrator. The story itself works well in an audiobook format, not a ton of characters, story is easy to follow, just very fun.
Expeditionary Force series by Craig Alanson, read by R.C. Bray - compelling story with flawed characters that are easy to relate to. Well thought out universe of concepts, beings and technologies....
Expeditionary Force series by Craig Alanson, read by R.C. Bray - compelling story with flawed characters that are easy to relate to. Well thought out universe of concepts, beings and technologies. Writing itself isn't amazing - but it is easy to get sucked into the narrative.
I strongly recommend any Cormac McCarthy audiobook read by Richard Poe. Poe's fantastic narration complements (and dare I say) even adds to McCarthy's prose, with a fantastic voice and a deep...
I strongly recommend any Cormac McCarthy audiobook read by Richard Poe. Poe's fantastic narration complements (and dare I say) even adds to McCarthy's prose, with a fantastic voice and a deep understanding of the material. Blood Meridian and Suttree are my favourites, but I think I could listen to Poe read anything!
I really like Tim Gerard Reynolds’s as a narrator, too. Based on this list, I highly recommend Anthony Ryan’s Raven Shadow series narrated by Steven Brand. Okay, I admit, I recommend this series...
I really like Tim Gerard Reynolds’s as a narrator, too.
Based on this list, I highly recommend Anthony Ryan’s Raven Shadow series narrated by Steven Brand. Okay, I admit, I recommend this series to anyone who has even a small interest in fantasy, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who hasn’t liked it.
Have you read/listened to The Last Bookshop in London and/or The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin? Both take place during WWII. The first in London and the second in Portugal. Amazing research, very real emotions, and just phenomenal books.
My two gold standards for audiobooks: Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books, in particular the Mistborn books narrated by Michael Kramer, and the Stormlight Archives books narrated by Kramer and Kate...
My two gold standards for audiobooks:
Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books, in particular the Mistborn books narrated by Michael Kramer, and the Stormlight Archives books narrated by Kramer and Kate Reading. There's a scene in one of the Mistborn books where a character is putting on a particular accent, then "accidentally slips up" with that accent to reveal a different accent that is also not his natural one - and Kramer actually pulls this off. It's one of the most impressive things I've heard in narration.
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques - they're performed by a full cast and narrated by Jacques himself, who was a storyteller before he was an author. There's definitely a nostalgia element here for me, but they perfectly embody "being told a story by someone you know" to me.
A third pick that I have to put down because of what it means to me is the Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate. Nearly 15 years ago, I went looking for Animorphs audiobooks and couldn't find any, and decided that I should make my own, with a full cast recording over the internet. It took years of false-starts, re-casts, and letting the project sit for months on end, but we did actually produce a complete recording of Megamorphs 1, which I gave to Katherine Applegate in person at a book signing. A few years after that, they actually made official ones. I'd like to think that I was at least in part responsible for that.
project hail mary might be the best audiobook i've ever listened ever in my life. it's so... complete.
i would recommend dungeon crawler carl -- it's a "litrpg" series, but it's quite light on it while being super fun.
I'm listening to Artemis at the moment, read by Rosario Dawson, and also the 372 Pages podcast that is critically reviewing it. The podcast has called into question if The Martian was actually that good given how bad Artemis is. Too many mentions of the phrase "hauling ass", and every time the 26 yo female protagonist mentions her "sexy body" they encourage you to check out Weir's photo on Wikipedia and tell him to settle down.
One of the tongue in cheek conspiracy theories they have mentioned is that Artemis was secretly written by Ernest Cline. The "proof" is the anachronistic pop culture references and the Clinean literary technique where one's body behaves like a 3rd party robot (I felt water and realized I was crying- type things). I don't really find it that terrible, I enjoyed The Martian and Artemis is gripping thriller nonsense too. Making a book is difficult creative act, whereas making fun of one is easier (but also funny).
I might check out Project HM afterwards, see if it has anything in common with Artemis :-P
Is there enough libertarian agitprop in the Cline canon to say that he actually wrote this book? The big corporation ruined the world of RP1, and I'm not sure that the MC being in charge actually helped anything on that front.
I dunno, it's a silly theory that they mentioned tongue in cheek. Weir wrote RP1 fanfic , and the editor of artemis is the same as RP1+2 apparently. That's more likely the reason for similarities. A running gag in the podcast is weird common themes in bad books, slim hands come up a lot for example, so it all plays into that bit.
Project Hail Mary is going to worked on by Lord and Miller after the writer strike.
https://collider.com/project-hail-mary-directors-chris-lord-phil-miller-comments/
Project Hail Mary was such a good book that I also bought the audiobook. Hearing that character elevates the story massively. It was delightful from start to finish.
I would have preferred it if it were a series though, they kind of rushed a lot of stuff in the Martian and there's so much ground to cover with Project Hail Mary that I fear it will lose out on some of it's charm.
You can transmit a lot more information with images rather than audio books, but condensing the 16 hour audiobook into a 2 hour film is going to be tricky.
1. The Witcher series
Narrated by Peter Kenny, these are the Witcher books, written by Adrej Sapowski translated to English, that the popular TV show and games are based on. Many people are probably familiar with the story content of these already, so I won't mention anything about that, but the reading is fantastic. Kenny provides different voices for the characters and reads dramatically. The only criticism I have off the top of my mind is the change in pronunciation in certain names between books.
2. The Order of Time
Written by Carlo Rovelli, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. This book explores the concept of time - it's relationship with gravity, thermodynamics, and other physical processes - presenting heady concepts in prose for the layman like me. I quite enjoy the exploration of these concepts, but I wouldn't have the wherewithal to tackle physics textbooks. Cumberbatch's reading is, as you can probably assume, like a classically trained actor with dramatic rises and falls - the cadence captures your attention and matches perfectly Rovelli's writing style. I recommend giving it a listen if you enjoy learning about and contemplating science topics, appreciate philosophy, and respond well to that feeling of 'opening the door' to something much larger than you may have realized up to this point.
edit: I realize i wrote this as a general "for anyone" kind of review, not specific to OP's prompt. Sorry OP if this doesn't fit your fancy, but I'll leave it up if it fits anyone elses.
+1 for Red Rising, the first book has a different feel than the following 4 but they're all incredible.
I really enjoyed the Bobiverse at first, but the weird Metaphysics of the Soul direction the series has taken is a huge turn off for me. It just feels so slapdash and in conflict with the scientific focus that the series has otherwise.
The Red Rising series is one of the best narrations in the game, for sure. I'm due for a reread. Project Hail Mary obviously an all-star.
I think my favorite audio book of all time has to be World War Z. It's one of my favorite books and the full cast narration really brings it to life. I'm also really glad they updated it with a full, unabridged version. The original was good but it was missing some of my favorite chapters.
A close second is the Bobiverse series. Ray Porter does a fantastic job with the narration. I'm kind of bummed they updated the original We Are Legion (We Are Bob) recording, though. It was a little thing, but the original mispronunciation of Archimedes always made me chuckle.
If you can find it, R.C. Bray's version of The Martian is really good, too. It was a shame they pulled it after Podium Audio's publishing rights expired. I haven't heard the Wil Wheaton version, but I don't think he was the right fit for that particular story.
The Expanse series has a great audio book narrator. The story itself works well in an audiobook format, not a ton of characters, story is easy to follow, just very fun.
Expeditionary Force series by Craig Alanson, read by R.C. Bray - compelling story with flawed characters that are easy to relate to. Well thought out universe of concepts, beings and technologies. Writing itself isn't amazing - but it is easy to get sucked into the narrative.
I strongly recommend any Cormac McCarthy audiobook read by Richard Poe. Poe's fantastic narration complements (and dare I say) even adds to McCarthy's prose, with a fantastic voice and a deep understanding of the material. Blood Meridian and Suttree are my favourites, but I think I could listen to Poe read anything!
I really like Tim Gerard Reynolds’s as a narrator, too.
Based on this list, I highly recommend Anthony Ryan’s Raven Shadow series narrated by Steven Brand. Okay, I admit, I recommend this series to anyone who has even a small interest in fantasy, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who hasn’t liked it.
Have you read/listened to The Last Bookshop in London and/or The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin? Both take place during WWII. The first in London and the second in Portugal. Amazing research, very real emotions, and just phenomenal books.
My two gold standards for audiobooks:
Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books, in particular the Mistborn books narrated by Michael Kramer, and the Stormlight Archives books narrated by Kramer and Kate Reading. There's a scene in one of the Mistborn books where a character is putting on a particular accent, then "accidentally slips up" with that accent to reveal a different accent that is also not his natural one - and Kramer actually pulls this off. It's one of the most impressive things I've heard in narration.
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques - they're performed by a full cast and narrated by Jacques himself, who was a storyteller before he was an author. There's definitely a nostalgia element here for me, but they perfectly embody "being told a story by someone you know" to me.
A third pick that I have to put down because of what it means to me is the Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate. Nearly 15 years ago, I went looking for Animorphs audiobooks and couldn't find any, and decided that I should make my own, with a full cast recording over the internet. It took years of false-starts, re-casts, and letting the project sit for months on end, but we did actually produce a complete recording of Megamorphs 1, which I gave to Katherine Applegate in person at a book signing. A few years after that, they actually made official ones. I'd like to think that I was at least in part responsible for that.